Tenacious, isn't he. 12 yrs and counting. Spectre of 10 more yrs litigation ahead? By the time this wraps in the courts he'll have to apply for a variation on the development to replace the 5 homes with an aged care facility.

Why would Edge want to hold onto this cause so obsessively is quite weird, he must have his good reasons (or maybe he's not the one pulling the strings... ) I'll be quite surprised if it was just a matter of greed...

This is typical of construction projects on the coast in California. Environmental groups oppose basically any new development regardless of what it is and the Coastal Commission typically stands by them with their hands out. There is nothing particularly special about the ridge and there are developments all over the general vicinity of where he wants to build. This is just California politics, nothing more. However if you don't live in California and all you read are these articles you'd think otherwise.

It wouldn't surprise me at all that when he initial approached a developer they told him to be ready to fight for years and spend millions to get it done. He probably set the money aside and is just letting it run its course in court.

I'm going to guess the main reasons why he won't just "give it up" are that 1) he's already invested a lot of money in buying many acres of property in California (one of the most expensive areas in the world) 2) he, his wife and friends REALLY want to fulfill their dreams and build their properties and 3) too much pride to simply walk away.

Why in the world would they sell him 151 acres of land when he isn't free to do with it as he wishes? If it's his property, why are they worried about it "disturbing" walkers? Shouldn't they be staying off of the land he purchased? I can't speak to California law, but I know in the northern part of my state (where people frequently purchase lakefront homes as vacation homes) if you're on the beach and you come across a private property's section of the beach, you stay off it.

Again, I don't understand WHY they would take his money (and given the massive number of acres, I'm going to guess it's many millions) and then keep him from using his land. Did they honestly expect him to buy all that land and then do nothing with it? I mean, c'mon.

I don't know the environmental effects of his planned build, but I'm going to guess that it's no worse than what other (less famous) millionaires/billionaires do all the time. I'm also going to guess that if this were any "normal" person, they wouldn't face such extreme opposition. The fact that he's a celebrity probably counts against him here.

Hawkmoon2e

The first thing to look at is what the Coastal Commission is. They are a commission made up of mostly appointed members, and have little to no oversight. I think the commission probably started out as a good thing, but you know what they say about power … it corrupts. You can do a quick google search on things they oppose and decide for yourself.I live on the Northern California coast, and I’ve seen them oppose the smallest of things, as well as a very much needed building project just a couple miles from my home.There is a group of people who want to build self-sufficient housing for special needs adults with developmental issues. It is on a strip of coastal land that is basically a no man’s land, and the self-sufficient part is that there would be no state money used for the project. There would be a small retail business park built with the housing that would finance the cost for these special need adults to live. The Coastal Commission has fought this tooth and nail from the beginning, and when all the necessary changes were made to the plans (in their eyes), that’s when all the other conservation groups jumped in and picked up the fight. So yeah, the CC made such a big deal in the beginning, and those other groups picked up on it and continued the fight. Now the CC is actually sticking their hands out and saying that they’re okay with the project, but you’ll now have to fight a half dozen other conservation groups, and there’s nothing they can do about it.So now a strip of land that no one ever cared about is more important than a bunch of adults with disabilities, I say their conservation efforts are aimed at the wrong thing.What does this have to do with a multi-millionaire who wants to build 5 huge houses on a ridge? More than you think. Because it’s how this appointed commission works, and how they say they’ve done their part and can wash their hands in good faith to all of it.

The first thing to look at is what the Coastal Commission is. They are a commission made up of mostly appointed members, and have little to no oversight. I think the commission probably started out as a good thing, but you know what they say about power … it corrupts. You can do a quick google search on things they oppose and decide for yourself.I live on the Northern California coast, and I’ve seen them oppose the smallest of things, as well as a very much needed building project just a couple miles from my home.There is a group of people who want to build self-sufficient housing for special needs adults with developmental issues. It is on a strip of coastal land that is basically a no man’s land, and the self-sufficient part is that there would be no state money used for the project. There would be a small retail business park built with the housing that would finance the cost for these special need adults to live. The Coastal Commission has fought this tooth and nail from the beginning, and when all the necessary changes were made to the plans (in their eyes), that’s when all the other conservation groups jumped in and picked up the fight. So yeah, the CC made such a big deal in the beginning, and those other groups picked up on it and continued the fight. Now the CC is actually sticking their hands out and saying that they’re okay with the project, but you’ll now have to fight a half dozen other conservation groups, and there’s nothing they can do about it.So now a strip of land that no one ever cared about is more important than a bunch of adults with disabilities, I say their conservation efforts are aimed at the wrong thing.What does this have to do with a multi-millionaire who wants to build 5 huge houses on a ridge? More than you think. Because it’s how this appointed commission works, and how they say they’ve done their part and can wash their hands in good faith to all of it.

Thanks for the info. I have a friend in California who gave me the same kind of feedback. It's just a question of power. No one really cared for this land until Edge came up with this idea. Why are people making such a fuss about ? Because they can.